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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-06-09, Page 7Wednesday, June 9, 1999 Exeter Times.-Advecate 7 Opinion&Forum I OYEARS AGO June 7, 1989 - Sid Daley, a Royal Canadian Legion member for 47 years was named Lucan Branch 540 Legionnaire of the year Saturday night. A debate by Exeter council for almost a year has been quenched. Property has been purchased to house the pro- posed new fire hall to replace the existing structure at the cor- ner of Main and Victoria streets which was sold a few months ago. Council passed a bylaw Monday night authorizing the purchase of 8.178 acres of land from Nabisco Brands for a total price of $136,300. That amounts to $16,677.67 per acre. Nancy Pearce, Katherine Ens and Shirley Mommersteeg were the successful bidders for the positions of delivering mail to the new super boxes in town. After 34 years in the teaching profession, Zurich Public School principal Don O'Brien is retiring at the end of June. He started his teaching career at S.S. No. 12 in Hay township at an annual salary of $2,600, $200 more than he was offered by a school in St. Marys. 20 YEARS AGO June 6, 1979 - Plans for opening of a parking • area behind the stores on the west side of Main Street between Ann and John Streets are expected to proceed. Pam O'Brien, an 18 year-old student from Zurich was named Queen at South Huron District High School's annual Formal Friday night. 35YEARS AGO June 8, 1964 -The Exeter swimming pool fund received another boost this week when the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority turned over a cheque for $239.22. The money was the profit realized from the group's recent fashion show. Principal Arthur Idle reported this week the inci- dence of measles was on the decline at Exeter Public School after taking a heavy toll during the past few weeks. Publication of a new weekly newspaper for the village of Grand Bend will begin Friday, according to Wilma Dinnin who will be editor and publisher of the paper. Patterned after the original Holiday which appeared in Grand Bend for several sum- mers, the paper will be a six column tabloid. The Exeter sewerage system was officially opened Wednesday when dignitaries from Exeter, the surrounding area and government officials joined in the ceremonies. Former mayor, R.E. Pooley cut the ribbon. 40YEARS AGO June 7, .1959 - General Coach displayed their 5,000th trailer home on Hensall's Main Street this week. The large 10 foot wide mobile home attract- ed many visitors. ' Dr. and Mrs. M.C. FIetcher left Monday to attend a convention in Edinburgh, Scotland, after which they will visit the continent. Miss Jean Darling, who has spent several years as a missionary nurse in India, has returned on ii,Irlough to the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Darling, R.R. 1, Clandeboye. Mrs. Lorne Hicks entertained her, grade eight pupils at Centralia Public School to dinner and the theatre in London Saturday evening where they saw the show, "Green Mansions". SO YEARS AGO June 7, 1949 - Mr. William Sillery is in Kitchener attending the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church as a commissioner from Caven Church. Mr. Harvey Sparling with six other teachers from Usborne township took their students to London on Saturday. A Harvard aircraft was practically demolished early Wednesday morning when it crash landed three miles north of Exeter. 7S YEARS AGO June 6, 1924 -The S.M. Sanders Manufacturing Company has closed its Hensall branch, and the business will be confined to the Exeter branch. Mr. Harry Sweet returned Thursday morning from a trip to England. ROSS HAUGH BACK IN TP IEE The comedy "Green Stockings" put on by the A.Y.P.A of Trivitt Memorial Church drew a capacity house. Main characters were played by W.C. Davis, B. Cunningham, C.H. MacAvoy, James Morley, D. Davis, H. Wist, Miss A. Acheson, Miss Helen Wethey and Miss Florence Dinney LETTERS TO THE EDI TOR The missing bells are back! Dear Editor: They're back! Last week you kindly sent out Katherine to do an article about our missing bells. Many people have called expressing sympathy but one person called with terrific news. The "decent person" 1 wrote about in my letter innocently purchased my bells at a "yard sale." There was a young boy selling them with various planters •— from other people's yards. (You might want to check your plants now.). This young girl read the article and immediately recognized her purchase. She was disheartened to realize she had purchased stolen property and drove through the storm Wednesday night to return them to us. The bells have been securely attached to their proud position on our front porch again. Joshua says "yesss! ")i Thank you all for your assistance. `Mian Bons Can you steeps w►idh.a clear conscience? Dear Editor: I would like to ask the 'person or persons who were for the maiming - shooting or disappearance Of MANY dogs in Usborne Township, just one question. How would they feel to be a 4 -year old girl who has grown up with the family dog and have him disappear and never be seen again? This little girl happens to be my granddaughter. She has been crying her eyes out and there is nothing one can do to bring her "Radar" home. I hope these people if you can call them that can sleep at night with a clear conscience. My heart goes out to all the families who have lost" their family pets. MARGARET CARROIL A concerned grandmother The need to supply a safer energy future Dear Editor: Ontario residents should be aware of an ill-conceived plan by Ontario Hydro's successor (Ontario Power Generation) to reduce pollution from coal plants, by attempting to fix Ontario Hydro's old nuclear plants. This strategy is doomed to fail. Like old cars, these aging reactors will only break down more and more with time. Ontario Hydro shut down 8 of its 20 nuclear reactors because of breakdowns, accidents and high cost. Instead of accepting offers of replacement power from cleaner natural gas and renewable energy plants, Ontario Hydro chose to try to fix these old, dangerous reactors at a cost of over $2 billion. Ironically, re -start of these reactors also means much more coal burning, causing air pollution that kills thousands of people per year in Ontario. Not only are coal plants used as a replacement when reactors don't work, but nuclear plants need coal plants to meet daily and seasonal peaks in demand. Re -start of the eight Pickering A and Bruce A reactors also, means more radioactive waste and a greater risk of a meltdown. The first step towards a cleaner, cheaper and safer energy future for Ontario is to phase out coal genera- tion and keep the 8 oldest reactors shut down for good. We can easily replace nuclear and coal with renewable energy, conservation measures and high -efficiency natural gas plants. DAVE MARTIN Nuclear Awareness Project, Uxbridge Ontario Helen johns is doing a verygood job Dear tor: Most Exeter citizens are proud and happy that Helen Johns, M.P.P., was re-elected in the recent election. She has done a very good job as our representative at Queen's Park. We are lucky to have such a gifted and efficient woman to speak for us in the halls of power. On her T.V. appearances she has spoken clearly about our problems. She is smart enough to be considered as a replace- ment of Mike Harris should he deserve to step down! Yours truly, J. M. (Gmav) GIBSON, Exeter Jokes during election TORONTO — Ontarians may have seen their last election in which anyone dares crack a joke. The politicians cautiously did not offer much humour, but still enough to get some of them in trouble, because almost any quip these days offends some- body. ERIC Most of the few laughs came` DOWD 'from Liberal leader Dalton puEEW'SPARK McGuinty. His best line, making a point clearly which humor often does, was "Pizza Pizza has a better system. for delivering pizza than Mike Harris has for delivering medicare." McGuinty also struck a chord when he said Harris "no longer carries around a jar of loonies -- he's carrying around a new prop, Howard Hampton." This summed up neatly the Progressive Conservative premier had turned from flourish- ing tax savings to showering praise on New Democrat leader Hampton hoping to help him attract votes from the Liberals, while Hampton abetted Harris by also knocking Liberals. McGuinty mocked Harris "does not have= the corner on fiscal responsibility he claims - he's not even on the same street." He said Harris is so confrontational "the only partners he wants are sparring partners" and golfer Harris's "idea of long-term planning is booking a tee -off time." Much of McGuinty's humor, which seems to come naturally, was self -deprecating. When Liberal strategists were found worrying he might not look hefty enough on TV, he mentioned his mother comforted "there's nothing wrong with • your shoulders, dear. It's your head that's too big." The day after McGuinty lost the leaders' TV debate his bus was stalled by a dead battery, but he denied it symbolized stalled Liberal hopes and insisted cheerfully "my bus got a boost this morn- ing and I got a boost last night." McGuinty also characterized the Tories as "the M&Ms of Ontario politics --"on the outside they're sweet, but inside they're real nuts." . Harris also was sweet on candy jokes arguing the Liberals: "are the Caramilk bar of politics. They've got a soft and squishy centre and their policy is one big mystery." The premier jeered at "Six-pack McGuinty (and in a later version Lipton McGuinty) and the lawn- chair Liberals," presumably meaning he is not much of a man's man, which sounds like Harris's own language. ► . But his humor mostly appeared contrived. It took a while before he "countered hecklers with "don't worry, we'll be giving you a tax cut too." Harris also gibed "they were going to invite McGuinty on 60 Minutes to talk about his plat- form, but wondered what they'd do for the other 59 minutes' but it seemed like another of his many imports from the U.S. Hampton in the sober tradition of New Democrats stuck to issues and the one time he strayed got in serious trouble. McGuinty resembles actor Anthony Perkins, who had a celebrated role as serial killer Norman Bates in Psycho, and Hampton protested the Liberals went along with much of Harris's agen- da but are now against it to win. votes and trying to "turn Norman Bates into John Wayne," a hero. McGuinty was not offended, saying he feels like Gary Cooper in High Noon, standing against evil, but complaints poured in Hampton slighted suf- ferers from mental illness and he had to apolo- gize and his campaign turned down. One problem politicians face is almost any joke they make these days may be seized on as offending somebody on grounds including race, age, sex, color, religion, marital status, occupa- tion, ihcome and sexual orientation. When one of his MPPs defected earlier to run for another party, McGuinty said he was like sus- pended Olympic runner Ben Johnson, whose last race was against a car and two horses, because he would "run anytime, anywhere, against any- thing, for anybody," which seemed rather apt. But McGuinty was accused by others including Hampton of discriminating against a black and kicking a man when he was down and politicians can hardly be blamed if they play everything straight and safe.